In just a few short weeks, beer lovers will assemble at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre to raise a glass or two to celebrate the 20th Annual Okanagan Fest-of-Ale. This well-loved Penticton beer festival will take place on Friday April 10th and Saturday April 11thand will feature over 40 breweries and cideries from across the province and the Pacific Northwest.
Martin Lewis, Director with the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale explained, “Lots of things have changed over the last 20 years – the beers, the breweries, the attendance numbers, the restaurants, the bands, the directors and so much more. What has stayed consistent is our desire to continue to evolve the festival to meet the changing needs of our guests and our brewers.”
At a press conference held this afternoon, Lewis explained some of the exciting plans for the 2015 Fest-of-Ale. “All of our local breweries and many other BC breweries are returning again this year. Because of the reputation we’ve built for this festival, we’ve got some great craft breweries attending Fest-of-Ale for the first time ever, plus we’ve also got some brand new breweries that are participating. There are a lot of beer festivals out there now, so having brand new craft breweries choose to participate in Fest-of-Ale, says a lot about what we are doing”, explained Lewis. There will also be 5 cideries participating, including a couple of new cideries.
“We are very excited to be adding an outdoor component to the festival this year. We are working with the City on the final details of an outdoor extension to include brewers, food trucks and an additional stage”, continued Lewis.
Fellow Okanagan Fest-of-Ale Director, John Devitt was pleased to announce the winner of the logo design contest and unveil the new logo. “With Fest-of-Ale celebrating 20 years this year, the Board felt this major milestone marked the perfect opportunity to create a fresh new look to represent the festival. A new look that reflects the creative undertakings of the brewers and the sun-drenched, waterfront City of Penticton that has hosted Fest-of-Ale for 20 years,” explained Devitt. About 50 logo entries were entered in the contest. The winner of the logo design contest, Oliver-based Mike Szalay, a carpenter with a creative eye, was on hand to help Devitt unveil the new logo. Devitt continued, “In addition to bragging rights, Mike also won a $500 prize package that includes $250 cash; 4 tickets to this years Fest-of-Ale and 2 tickets to each of the next 4 Fest-of-Ale events.”
“Our Board of Directors love Mike’s new logo design. It begins with a bold, balanced, geometric design that features three distinct colour palettes. Each colour represents a colour of the finest ales: A dark shade of brown represents the heavy stouts, a deep burgundy for the amber ales, and a vibrant yellow for the full-bodied lagers and blonde ales. We also love that the colours reflect the beautiful colours of our Okanagan Valley sunshine, splashed across a symmetrical crest-style logo and stamped with sun rays and barley stalks,” explained Devitt.
At the press conference, it was also announced that the Penticton Hospitality Association is partnering with the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale Society. Rob Appelman, President of the Penticton Hospitality Association explained, “Fest-of-Ale is a wonderful example of how ‘home-grown’ events can benefit the community as a whole. We should all be very proud of their efforts and what they have gifted back to the community.”
Appelman continued, “Fest-of-Ale has consistently delivered a major financial boost to our local economy, both in terms of the charitable contributions, but also in terms of the attendees that come from out-of-town to the event. These out-of-town attendees stay in our hotels and motels, eat at our restaurants, visit our area attractions and shop in our stores. This year we are pleased to say we are partnering with the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale Society with marketing funding and support. We believe that working together, we can have a positive impact on the tourism sector of our community.”
Tickets are now available for sale in person at the Days Inn, at many of our local breweries, the SOEC box office, Penticton & Wine Country Visitors Centre and online through Valley First tickets. The two-day event takes place April 10th and 11th at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and features live entertainment, fabulous food and an opportunity for beer enthusiasts to sample a wide section of premium and craft brews as well as craft ciders. Not only does the festival host a venue for beer enthusiasts, but it also generates money for local Penticton charities. In its twenty-year history, the Fest-of-Ale Society has gifted over $500,000 in net proceeds back to the community. For more information or to apply as a volunteer, visit www.fest-of-ale.bc.ca
